Alex Collins wavers on Arkansas on national signing day as mom confiscates letter of intent

It seemed to be set in stone: Alex Collins, a stellar running back from South Plantation, Fla., announced Monday that he would sign with Arkansas when the NCAA’s national letter-of-intent day dawned today.

Evidently his mother had other ideas. ESPN’s Corey Long reports that she showed up at South Plantation High School, confiscated his letter of intent and disappeared before it could be faxed to Arkansas.

Andrea McDonald, Long reported, does not want Collins to leave home. Though Collins is 18, under NCAA guidelines, any athlete under the age of 21 must have an accompanying signature of a parent or guardian for the document to be valid. Mike Collins, South Plantation’s athletic director, confirmed that Alex had not yet signed with any school.

“We’re going to give the family as much time as they need to make the right decision,” Mike Collins told the South Florida Sun Sentinel. “At this time there’s no indication of anything other than the original plan. The family just wants more time.”

Collins is rated the No. 1 running back in the nation by 247Sports.com and also was recruited by Miami, Florida State, Florida and Wisconsin.

“It’s just a stressful time for him right now,” teammate John Franklin told the Sun Sentinel. “Some things happened that I’d rather not speak about because it’s his business. I don’t want to put it out there.”